


A Side Not Seen

by KivaTaliana



Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Gen, trying this out a bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-03-07 00:43:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3154436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KivaTaliana/pseuds/KivaTaliana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>d;Artagnan get stuck in a situation and Athos resolves it in a way that surprises, and frightens, all three of his friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Aramis swore as he watched the riders. It had taken them a day and a half to locate them, and in that day and a half d’Artagnan had not faired well but at least he was still alive and conscious. Aramis slipped away quietly, heading down the rock face to meet up with the others. 

As he reached them both Athos and Porthos tensed. 

“He’s alive, I don’t know where they are taking him though.” 

Athos looked around, “I’m guessing that campsite we saw through the trees. 

“It looked abandoned,” Porthos said. 

“But that could make it the perfect stopping place. How did he look?” 

“Bruised and angry.” 

Athos frowned, Porthos raised his eyebrows. They got the hint of what Aramis was saying as they followed, staying as clear as they could to prevent anyone from realising they were following. Occasionally they could get a clear view of the trail. 

D’Artagnan had been contained in the middle of the riders, looking bruised and uncomfortable on his horse, but that could have just been down to how he had been secured. They had lashed his wrists together, tying them to the pommel and even gone so far as to tie his feet into the stirrups. Clearly whatever d’Artagnan had to say on the matter hadn’t been appreciated as they had gagged him as well. Athos didn’t doubt d’Artagnan had put up a good fight, and that had resulted in the injuries. But one look at his comrade’s shoulder told him why d’Artagnan had fought, and why he was glaring furiously at the man in front of him. 

They had pulled the Musketeer insignia from his shoulder, his clothing underneath ripped where they had yanked it off him. The man leading, directly in front of d’Artagnan, wore it instead, to much amusement from his comrades. Athos was close enough to hear d’Artagnan growl at one comment. 

“Oh, listen to the puppy!” the leader snapped and the man on d’Artagnan’s left cuffed him hard on the back of the head. Athos clenched his jaw as he watched d’Artagnan lurch violently in the saddle and he realised that it wasn’t just d’Artagnan’s anger that had him secured so firmly in the saddle, Athos saw his eyes roll at the blow and he sagged, but only for a moment. D’Artagnan stubbornly recovered himself and returned to glaring at the man in front of him. 

“I don’t think we can leave him there much longer,” Aramis whispered. Athos grunted, not wanting to comment. The man they wanted, the leader of the group was not with them. It was him that the patrol had been looking for, but clearly not found. The Musketeers had been trying to get hold of him for years. 

“We’ll move tonight,” Athos eventually said. “That camp site is well known and hopefully Philippe will be with them. There is no point taking d’Artagnan anywhere unless Philippe wants him.” 

“And we know what happens when he does,” Porthos growled. Athos glared at him. 

"I know what that man is capable of. It won't get that far. If Philippe isn't there, we will retrieve d'Artagnan."

"And if he is?" Porthos asked.

Athos' answer was simple. "Then I will kill him."


	2. Chapter 2

The prediction that they were heading for the abandoned camp proved correct. The trio had stayed carefully on their tail, making sure they avoided detection. Without saying anything they all knew how unhappy they felt with the situation, leaving d'Artagnan in the middle of the enemy, but as he seemed in no immediate danger they left him there. It made him little more than bait, and d'Artagnan didn't know they were close. He had been working with others on the patrol, and didn't know that his friends had been warned of the danger. As a consequence they had come running. 

Now all they could do was wait. All three of them watched anxiously as d'Artagnan was dragged from the horse, during which time he tried to get in a few punches and kicks, with little success. He was punched back and then his arms wrenched back as he was tied to a tree. At least he was put in a sitting position, simply too stunned to keep upright. In the encroaching darkness the Musketeers waited, watching d'Artagnan anxiously, the men at least had the decency to give him some water. Whatever d'Artagnan said during those moments eared him a blow to the face and the gag tied again. d'Artagnan was left alone after that, and all three Musketeers could see what he was trying to do. 

Until there was the sound of an approaching horse. 

d'Artagnan glared around warily, shifting slightly to try and regain the traction on the ropes. He wasn't having much success, but he tried anyway rubbing the rope against the rough bark of the tree. d'Artagnan dropped his head and kept working, the bark scraping his skin, he felt it stinging and hoped that at least he was doing some damage to his bindings. He had cut himself free before with this method, it could work again, as long as it didn't look too obvious. 

"We've caught a Musketeer!!" one of the bandits announced to the approaching rider. 

D'Artagnan warily watched the newcomer, clearly the leader they were waiting for. He advanced slowly on d'Artagnan his movement lithe and predatory. The smile he bestowed on d'Artagnan was little short of feral. 

"This little brat?!" 

"He's wearing the uniform, or he was! Could be he was put in as a distraction, let his master get away!"

The bandit wearing his insignia tapped his arm. Philippe chuckled, which caused d'Artagnan to growl again. Philippe smirked again. 

"He's a savage little pup!" one bandit commented. "He took down Georges and Raoul before we got him."

Philippe looked delighted by that. He drew his dagger and advanced on d'Artagnan. He gave a grunt of panic and shifted as Philippe crouched in front of him. d'Artagnan went very still as Philippe used the knife to cut the gag free, and he pulled the material from d'Artagnan's mouth. He flexed his jaw and rubbed his dry tongue around, wishing he had perhaps spent more time drinking water and less time insulting his captors. He tensed as the blade of the dagger pressed against his face. 

"I'm not going to tell you anything," d'Artagnan said. Philippe shrugged trailing the point of the knife down d'Artagnan's cheekbone. 

"As if you have anything of interest to tell me," Philippe drawled. "I know enough about the Musketeers, and it would be a shame to damage that pretty face, until my men have finished with it." 

The group around his laughed. d'Artagnan eyed them warily. They had made enough comments throughout his capture to understand what they were talking about. However, they didn't seem to dare do anything until this man had done whatever he wanted first. 

"So if you don't want information, what was the point of kidnapping me?" d'Artagnan asked. Philippe smirked at him. 

"The Musketeers and I have some history. And quite frankly killing you has become quite satisfactory, but now and again the message needs to be sterner." 

d'Artagnan frowned. "What message?" 

"Your Captain knows," Philippe said with a shrug, letting the knife drift down d'Artagnan's face. Philippe regarded him dispassionately. 

"Now all I need to do is decide which part of you to send back to your garrison first." 

d'Artagnan tensed, going still as the dagger point pressed under his jaw. He felt it slowly move down his neck to the hollow of his throat and Philippe sliced through the ties of his shirt, cutting into the material as he moved lower, before prodding the tip of the knife on his ribs. d'Artagnan hissed as the blade cut into his skin, causing beads of blood to well up on his skin. Philippe reached out and ran his finger along them, staring at the mark on his fingertip before licking it with relish. 

d'Artagnan glared.

"Not frightened puppy?" Philippe asked. d'Artagnan gave another growl. 

"I'm not going to kill you. At least not yet. But we can take a few pieces off you, to sent to your friends."

"No, need," a cold voice announced loudly. "I'll just take him as he is."


	3. Chapter 3

d'Artagnan gave a surprised gasp and shifted sideways to look at the figure walking in the clearing. The knife point jabbing his skin warned him of moving too much. However, Philippe had also turned at the interruption, so d'Artagnan could see enough. 

Athos was alone but d'Artagnan assumed that Porthos and Aramis were around somewhere. Maybe others from the regiment. Athos walked into camp looking calm and confident. 

"Well, well, well," Philippe turned and stood up. d'Artagnan had to duck his head and peer around Philippe's leg to watch Athos. The older man briefly met his gaze before turning his eyes back on Philippe. The leader looked around at his men and one stepped towards Athos. 

The shot made them all jump, except Athos who remained stoic at such an interruption. The man who had moved forward fell to the ground and the rest of the bandits rumbled uncertainly, scanning the shadowed undergrowth for any sign of the enemy. The sound of Athos drawing his sword drew their attention back to him, he turned the point in Philippe's direction. 

"Just you," Athos ordered. He swept the sword down to position himself ready for the fight that he wanted to happen. Philippe stared at him, drawing his own sword almost by reflex, pacing sideways to give himself room to manoeuvre. d'Artagnan shifted warily, watching Athos while also trying to scan the darkness around him. At the very least Aramis and Porthos would be close by, possibly other members of the patrol that d'Artagnan had been with. He hadn't felt the least bit unsure of his rescue, the Musketeers he was with had backed off the moment he had been taken hostage, others had been injured and he had caught the eye of the nearest man to hint that it was fine to leave him, retreat and follow up with what needed to be done. They knew enough to know d'Artagnan was safe, for a time, and someone had carefully doubled back to pick up the trail to make sure Athos and the others would knew where to find him. 

"Is that it?" Philippe asked, which was a question running around d'Artagnan's mind and he was hoping for a hint of something more, so he knew what to do. Athos, however, could be annoyingly unforthcoming. 

"Of course, I win, I take him."

"And if you lose?" Philippe grinned, clearly confident in his ability to beat Athos. 

"Then you can do what you like to him." 

d'Artagnan knew he probably did not manage to hide the shock he felt at Athos' careless tone. Athos briefly turned his gaze in d'Artagnan's direction, giving a curt nod. d'Artagnan gave a slight frown, trying to work out what that meant. All he could fathom, as the two men carefully faced each other, was that there was more to the plan than met the eye. 

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"What the hell is he doing?!" Porthos demanded as he eased into the concealed space that Aramis occupied. Aramis felt just as much shock, but didn't move as he had his gun trained on the scene, and he knew his line of sight was perfect. Having just witnessed what happened, he knew Porthos would come to him, knowing it was far better than meeting in the middle. 

"Duelling is illegal," Philippe drawled. "A Musketeer should know that." 

"I don't know!" Aramis snarled though clenched teeth as he watched; wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now. Should he shoot Philippe? At the moment he felt rather tempted to shoot Athos. 

"I know," Athos said. "This is a fight, not a duel," he added as if there was a world of difference, which everyone ought to be aware of.

"I presumed he was going to sneak round and get to d'Artagnan," Porthos said. 

"No sneaking about it, and he's almost done that."

The sound of clashing metal echoed around the dark forest. d'Artagnan shifted uncomfortably, drawing his legs away as the fight came towards them, then it moved away again as Philippe lunged. Athos twisted, pushing Philippe into a cluster of his men. Athos slowly backed up, holding himself ready, and waiting for his opponent to recover. d'Artagnan watched Athos with increasing concern as the older man didn't even bother to glance at him while he waited for Philippe to gather himself together. 

"You keep an eye on things, I'm going to go round and get to d'Artagnan," Porthos said. 

"Just keep an eye on things?" Aramis snapped sarcastically. Porthos placed his pistol down next to Aramis, thereby giving him three shots to use. 

"If anyone goes near d'Artagnan, kill them." 

"Even Athos?" 

Porthos grunted and his disappeared off into the darkness. Clearly the jury was currently out on that. Aramis checked his sights, making sure he held d'Artagnan as his focal point, and he watched as the fight continued.


	4. Chapter 4

He was gambling d'Artagnan's life on his ego, Porthos decided. Athos had gambled like that before, Porthos knew that, he had been there, he had been part of it. But something about d'Artagnan made that utterly unacceptable. He could move relatively quickly, the sound of the fight and the shouts of the men covered him. The fact that they were careless enough to ignore the possibility of other Musketeers in the area helped. Porthos knew there were scouts around the camp, they had run into two, and dealt with them. No one seemed to miss them, or feel any inclination to check on them. Then again, they were not people that cared about their brothers-in-arms. They would turn on each other if they gained from it. 

Porthos paused, shrinking back into the shadows as the fight moved towards him. Athos pushed Philippe back, causing increasingly desperate moves by the bandit, until he dropped down, his hand pressing down into the dead leaves that littered the forest floor. Athos paused his attack, eyeing his opponent calmly, his gaze drifting to the half clenched hand. 

"Really, Philippe?" 

Philippe huffed a light laugh 

"Always, Athos." 

His grip slackened on the debris that he planned to throw at his opponent in an attempt to distract him. d'Artagnan frowned as he watched. He knew Athos well enough to know that he had seen the distraction coming. It was risky to dive in, if any of leaf fragments had managed to hit Athos it would have blinded him long enough, but if he had realised, he could have avoided it. The move was something Athos had taught d'Artagnan, both how to instigate it and to avoid it. None of which included backing up and letting your opponent get up and let the duel continue.

d'Artagnan gritted his teeth to stop himself yelling, he kept his head still but his eyes moved even more frantically around the shadows of the camp. 

Porthos had gone stock still, not at the impasse, he had started to speed up at that. As he heard the exchange he had paused. He watched, he assessed the stand off as tactically as d'Artagnan and it made very little sense to him. 

Still in position Aramis blinked, his line of sight moving to Athos again. The urge to shoot him was becoming rather overwhelming, but it was not the best move at the moment, better to wait until this was all over and then shoot him. He went back to sighting around d'Artagnan, but no one seemed to be interested in him, or the fact that there might be others moving in on the camp. Aramis had been looking at the camp for nearly half an hour and no one had moved away, no one was worried when Athos had walked in. Aramis shifted uncomfortably, Athos had given him his orders and Athos knew what he was doing. It would have been nice, if Athos, now and again, told the rest of them what that actually was. 

"What am I doing?" Aramis asked. 

d'Artagnan dragged the rope holding him harder against the rough bark of the tree. No one was looking at him, so he could seem to get away with it. d'Artagnan didn't notice what was said. All he had to do was get himself free, then he could be useful. Then his frantic work slowed down, he watched the two men fighting and the interaction slowly started to worm it's way into his brain. 

You could perhaps pass it off as knowledge of the Musketeers. Athos was a fairly prominent figure, but this man didn't seem to realise that Aramis and Porthos were in attendance. d'Artagnan had yet to see them but he didn't doubt they had come for him as well. d'Artagnan winced as Athos was cut across his left bicep. 

"Hurt, Athos?" 

Athos said nothing. His jaw tensed. 

"When you lose, how about I whip you as soundly as I did the last time, before taking your little boy." 

"You take him, then I am already dead, and that doesn't account for the others that care about him," Athos said. "I walk alone, d'Artagnan does not. When he dies, he will be mourned, he will be revenged. We know where he is and where to find him. Send pieces of him to the garrison and every Musketeer there will come to find you."

"They did not for you." 

"d'Artagnan is not me. They did not muster because they never even knew I had been taken. Shall we continue?"


	5. Chapter 5

d'Artagnan blinked, taking in those sentences and his mind tried to work them out so desperately. In the end they made sense to him and he stopped struggling to get himself free, he didn't need to worry. Athos and Philippe continued to parry and d'Artagnan watched, assessing every move carefully. To the point that he only just managed to control himself as he felt a hand against his own. 

"It's me," Porthos said. "I'm going to cut these ropes, there is a clear path out." 

"We can't leave Athos, just cut me free and he must have a plan." 

"If he has, we don't know it, whatever he is doing is all his own work, nothing to do with us."

"We can't leave him. Porthos!" 

The bigger man slunk back into the forest as the fight moved closer to them, and d'Artagnan wasn't entirely free. He pulled on the ropes and felt them give, but not enough. Philippe turned to look at him and the sword point suddenly pressed down onto his chest. Athos froze, his jaw tensing, he didn't dare move forward. d'Artagnan tried to tug on the ropes holding him, without moving too much. Aramis swore under his breath. He had a perfect shot, but with Philippe's sword point pressed to his chest d'Artagnan was still at risk. If Philippe fell, he could end up skewering d'Artagnan. Aramis couldn't take that risk. Philippe kept the sword point pressed to d'Artagnan and turned to smirk at Athos. 

"Ah, and in there lies the weakness. I knew I could find it. You never flinched the last time I did this," Philippe jabbed the sword down. d'Artagnan felt it prick his skin beyond the leather and Philippe kept the point in him. "I could kill him." 

"No, you won't," said d'Artagnan softly. Philippe tilted his head, a clear indication that he had heard. Athos' eyes didn't move from his opponent, but d'Artagnan didn't doubt that Athos instinctively felt very aware of everything around him, including, and especially, d'Artagnan.

"You think I won't?" 

d'Artagnan shrugged, still feeling the point of the sword on his chest. At the movement Philippe pulled the sword away slightly to raise it to d'Artagnan's neck. D'Artagnan stayed still, glancing at the glittering metal before returning his gaze to the confrontation before him. 

"Without me, you don't have protection from Athos," d'Artagnan said. 

Philippe looked down at d'Artagnan, lightly running the sword point across the skin of his throat. 

"Is that right? Do you think he won't kill me, if I let you live?" 

d'Artagnan waited, looking steadily at Philippe. "If you kill me, he won't kill you. He'll just make you wish he would."

Out of the corner of his eye d'Artagnan saw Athos' mouth curl in a semblance of a smile. Philippe frowned as d'Artagnan eyed him steadily. 

"You may find death more preferable." 

"And for that to happen, I have to let you live, if what you say is true." 

"Indeed," d'Artagnan said calmly. He took a slight, hitching breath as the sword point gently pressed into his neck. d'Artagnan stayed very still, he had worked the ropes loose, but not enough, a sharp movement now might impale him. But he had seen the flicker of uncertainty in the man's eyes. 

"You apparently once had Athos at your mercy, do you think he'll have any for you." 

"But if I show you mercy, and let you live, little pup, he'll be kind and kill me?" 

d'Artagnan shrugged, Athos tensed and Philippe turned to him lowering his sword slightly. d'Artagnan lurched sideways, pulling hard and snapping the rope that held him. He whirled round, reaching out and grabbing the knife that he knew Athos kept in his boot. He registered the sound of a gun shot but it had no baring on the short brief battle that occurred between himself and Athos, who d'Artagnan knew would try to stop him. He had no problem lurching under Philippe's sword, knowing full well Athos would protect him, and rose up to slam the knife directly into Philippe's heart. The man looked stunned as he fell back, his legs crumpling and he was dead before he hit the forest floor. Athos spun to slash at another bandit who ran forward and d'Artagnan snatched up Philippe's sword, turning and blocking a blow, before his own swift reactions plunged the sword into the man's gut. 

The fight was short and bloody. Many of the men ran and the Musketeers let them go. Without a leader they had nothing, and none of them had any wish to die. In the end, nine bodies lay in the clearing, and the Musketeers stayed standing. d'Artagnan looked around the bodies frantically, discarding the sword and reaching up to touch his shoulder, as if he physically felt the loss of his Musketeer insignia. 

"It's here lad," Porthos said finding the man in question. The one that Aramis had picked out first, probably for that reason. He pulled it off and went over to reattach it to d'Artagnan's shoulder. 

"Are you injured?" Aramis asked d'Artagnan, although he glared at Athos at the same time. 

"Sore but fine," d'Artagnan sighed with relief as Porthos finished buckling. 

"You're as bad as that one," Porthos told d'Artagnan, nodding at Athos, who had hardly moved, although he looked up at Porthos' words. 

"On the contrary, d'Artagnan is far kinder than myself." 

He gave Philippe's body a casual glance, then looked up at d'Artagnan giving a brief nod before turning and walking away. d'Artagnan looked down at his handiwork, and reached to remove the dagger, cleaning it carefully on a corner of Philippe's tunic before standing and glancing at the others. Then he turned and followed Athos without a word. 

"I don't know which one is worse," Porthos said after a moment. 

"d'Artagnan," Aramis said with certainty. Porthos raised his eyebrows. 

"We won't be quite as accepting if d'Artagnan dies." 

Porthos sighed. "Least of all Athos."


End file.
